September 2016 - Thunder Media

This is a minor essay written for University of Pennsylvania’s course ‘Revolutionary Ideas: Utility, Justice, Equality, Freedom’ on the Harm Principle

One answer to the question of why we should have a State, comes from John Stuart Mill, that the state improves human welfare by preventing us from harming each other, also known as the Harm Principle. This means that the state needs to prevent us from harming and fighting with each other, which it can do so through the implementation of laws and processes to enforce these laws. The State then allows for peaceful and productive relations to emerge and therefore creates a basic condition for peaceful coexistence. Read More